Writing Again...

...just not in the way that you think ;)

Ok, so what the heck do I mean by that? Well, I'll tell you.

First off, I'm gonna share a little secret... I've never had a boyfriend. I've gone on a few dates and liked one guy, but beyond that, nothing. You kinda need to know this to fully understand what I'm doing, cause I think it's a beautiful idea for those who are still looking for their special someone.

I read this great book not too long ago called When God Writes Your Love Story by Eric and Leslie Ludy. There was something they suggested doing that I thought was so sweet I started doing it. They suggested writing letters to your special someone, even if you don't know them. It's a great way to keep in mind that there's only one perfect man or woman out there for every guy and girl. Many girls I know get lost thinking that they have to have a lot of guys like them. Personally, I'd much rather that guy be Mr. Right. :)

I've started putting these letters and notes in a box. Everything is sealed and will only be opened by my husband, because, whoever he is, these notes are for his eyes only. It's kinda cool to write these letters to him, knowing I love him, even though we haven't met yet.

This is something I recommend doing...even if you're married. After all, just because you're married doesn't mean it's not still nice to receive or write a love letter or encouraging note or inspirational thought. Words are very powerful tools...we as writers know this. But to use these words that we love to wield into stories in ways that make our special someone feel loved and honored is one of the greatest gifts we can give. Roses wilt, candies get eaten, cozy moments on the couch end cause ya gotta pee sometime, but those words, especially when they are written down, will be there forever. They are something your special someone can read over and over and know how much they are loved and appreciated.

Anyway, I think it's a really beautiful idea that more people should practice. I am definitely having fun doing this and I think if you start, you will too :)

Skates in my Shadow

Hey, all! Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!!

I was bored today and wrote this poem. I finally wrote something again! Yey! Anyway, it's called "Skates in my Shadow". I hope you enjoy it :)

I haven't worn them in so long

But on my feet is where they belong

I spin around on ice that gleams

But open eyes tell me it's just a dream

The last time I skated was so long ago

And still there are skates in my shadow

I remember the rip and speed and chill

The wonderment, love, and thrill

There were good times and times when I'd fall

And now I wonder if I've forgotten it all

It's been so long, I miss it so

Knowing there's still skates in my shadow

I look at my shadow and it's not me today

But an earlier version that now seems so far away

I look down and what do I see?

A girl in a pretty dress with skates on her feet

Looking at it, my thoughts never stray

Never once from that far away day

And no matter what happens, this I know

Forever there will be skates in my shadow

I'm Still In the Writing Biz

Just not as much as I used to be. Schoolwork always comes first. But I figured I would give you guys a little update before I head on to church this morning. :)

I did write a few paragraphs in a new WIP the other day. I think I'm in chapter four. I'm liking the way it's going so far. Querying agents has been put on hold for the moment, but my BFF just recently finished Khaladin (she liked it! Yeah!) but there's some edits that need to take place. She found some holes that I didn't catch and she pointed them right out the minute she saw them. That's what I love about her reading my stuff. She doesn't hold back! :)

I am also toying with two new ideas, both fantasy, one MG and the other YA. Right now, they are called There's A Unicorn In My Closet! and The Pegasus Lord. I was texting one of my friends the other day and our conversation turned into a joke about me having a live unicorn in my closet, and he said it'd make a good story. I have also done so much with writing and reinventing the unicorn that I've been wanting to try the Pegasus. I got the idea while watching Naruto, which is really strange, but hey, if the story ends up working, then I'm not complaining! Well, I won't complain, anyway. I like Naruto. :p

But yeah, that brings you up to date on the writing front. On the school front, I am doing pretty good. I graduated my first English course (taking another next semester) with a B overall, so that makes me very happy. :)

I plan on querying agents again when my winter break comes along at the end of this semester. Yes, I know holidays are the worst times to query agents, but hey, you gotta do it when you have the time. Hopefully by then I will have some time where I can just sit down and completely focus on them. Right now, I can't, which is a bummer, but it'll all work out.

Anyway, leave me comments on this post to let me know how all of you are doing (haven't heard from hardly anyone in a while. I miss you guys) and I will talk to all of you later!

Happy writing! :)

What Boredom Will Bring

So, I haven't been writing much still because of school, but that doesn't mean I'm not keeping busy. I was stuck on campus the other day without anything to do, so while I was waiting for my mom to pick me up, I followed around butterfies and took pictures of them. Enjoy! :)

Hello!

Yes, I am still here! I wasn't kidding when I said that I wasn't going to be able to be posting on here much. School has been crazy.

Just so you know, I am still writing. Working on several projects right now and really loving one, so it's great! :)

Khaladin is still getting rejected by agents. But I'm not discouraged. I just printed off info for about ten more and there's lots more agents to look up. :)

But, yeah, this post was basically just to catch you up with what I am up to and assure you that I am not dead. *wink*

I'll post again soon! :)

A Trip Down Memory Lane, Part 2

Today, you are in for a treat. Well, in my opinion, at least. :p

Today I am going to let you read the first chapter of The Search for Grey Sky just how it was when I completed it when I was twelve years old. Complete and unchanged. I hope you enjoy it. :)


Chapter 1
An Uninvited Guest

Eleven-year-old Christina Wells ran out the back door banging the screen door behind her. She was headed to the paddock where her best friend was waiting for her. When she reached the paddock fence, she whistled. A beautiful dapple gray Quarter Horse with a black mane and tail trotted to her. It was Grey Sky, Christina's mare. Christina swung herself over the fence and threw her arms around Grey Sky's neck.

I love you, Sky," Christina said.

(Christina called her Sky for short.) Sky breathed into Christina's dark blonde hair telling her she loved her too.

"We're going on a trail ride," Christina said. As she put a halter and lead rope on her, Christina and Sky looked at each other straight in the eye. Sky's eyes were filled with love, understanding, and an unbreakable spirit.

After she attached the lead rope, Christina led Sky to the gate. When she opened the gate Sky started to trot forward.

"Whoa Sky," Christina said. "I know you're excited."

Sky stopped but anyone could see how eager she was. Christina was closing the gate when she heard a lot of noise coming from the barn. Horses were kicking in their stalls and there were tons of frightened neighs and whinnies. She looked towards the barn. She saw a boy ride his bike out of the barn. She knew who that was. It was David Croft. The dark skinned boy was Christina's age and had just moved in the neighborhood 3 weeks ago from Kentucky.

Anger rose in her like boiling water. Even though Sky only had on a halter and lead rope, Christina sprang onto her back. They headed towards the barn at a fast canter. David had stopped to catch his breath. When he saw Christina, he tried to ride away, but Christina rose Sky in front of the bike and halted. Christina meant to talk calmly, but everything came out in shouts and yells.

"Why did you ride your bike into the barn?!" shouted Christina. "Don't you know we have pregnant mares in there?!"

"Sorry," David said. "I was just..."

"Don't you know this is private property?" interrupted Christina, yelling.

She pointed to a "No Trespassing" sign that was nailed on the barn. There were others surrounding the property.

"Sorry," David said.

"Well, I accept your apology," Christina said, "but it doesn't help matters now. I have to calm down all of those horses before I can do anything else. You've ruined my pleasant morning and I don't appreciate it. Now I ask you to get off my property. Good day."

David wheeled his bike around Grey Sky, through the gate, and rode away. Christina glared at him, then looked towards the barn. All the horses were still frightened. Now she would have to calm them down before she could even think about going on a trail ride.

I Have Made a Decision

OK, school has taken a lot of time away from writing. I have a class where I have a test every week. Study, study, study.

But that doesn't mean there's not a story in the works.

I've had a lot of stories lately that I've been trying to develop and the minute I think they are going to work, they come crashing down. Not permanently, but you know what I mean. :)

Anyway, there is a story that I am going to be working on though. I don't have time to develop a story, but this one doesn't need it. It's already got a beginning, middle, and end and it's already complete! The drawback?

I wrote it when I was twelve years old.

The story is called The Search for Grey Sky. I wrote this before I got into fantasy. It's a story about a girl and her horse, named Grey Sky, of course. I had a lot of fun writing it and it is a good story, so I'm going to revamp it and make it sound better and more mature, because it's def not ready for submission right now!

Speaking of submissions, I am still querying the crap out of Khaladin. No takers yet, all rejections. But there's a lot of agents out there so I think there's still a pretty good chance. And if not, I love Khaladin so much that I will shelve it for a couple years and when the agencies have had more than enough time to forget about me (this is assuming I stay unpublished) I will submit him again. You guys know me...I never give up! :)

My Dream Box

OK, so I have started something new. I call it my Dream Box.

I have a lot of dreams, goals, and accomplishments I want to achieve in my lifetime. So last night I emptied out a little box and started writing these things out on tiny slips of paper. Some I have to fight to make come true, like getting published and becoming a licensed physical therapy assisstant and others are ones that may or may not come true but I wrote them down anyway, like going to Ireland and meeting Leonard Nimoy.

I want to keep track of everything I want to happen in my life and my Dream Box helps me do that.

But what happens when one of my dreams comes true?

Then I will take it out of the box and write down what it was and the date it came true on. I want to be able to keep track of this so that throughout my life I can see just how hard I am fighting for what I want. It's also good to show that dreams can come true.

Of course, some dreams might get modified with time, I might add others, or remove those that I realize I don't want anymore. But I think this is a good practice and I look forward to logging all my dreams that come true. Because I know at least some will. :)

School Started Today

As you can tell from the title of this post, I am now in school again. I am very glad of that, but unfortunately it cuts into writing time. However, I am still searching for a literary agent for Khaladin. I submitted to 14 agents last night and already recieved a rejection.

So, because of school, I don't know how active I will be on here. But please don't go away. I'll still be here popping up, so always feel free to stop by and see if there's anything new.

I'll keep you updated on how the literary agent hunting goes. Happy writing! :)

Been Busy

Whew! I just sent out a mess of queries for Khaladin and there's even more to send! Even more research to do. Even more agent hunting.

Let the prowling begin. :)

On a non-writing note, I am now enrolled in a local community college and I am going to go for my Physical Therapy Assistant Associate's Degree. I've got to do a lot to get in, as the program only accepts 30 people each year.

So, yeah, that's even more time away from writing. But sometimes life gets in the way. And that's when you just make time to do what you love. :)

Catch ya later! I'll keep you updated on the queries! :D

So, I Leave For A While....

...and look what happens! I have more followers! Whoot! Maybe I should disappear more often! :)

Ok, so that was a joke. But I really am sorry that I haven't been on here much. I haven't had a lot of time to write because I am trying to get ready to go to school. I am finally able to actually enroll in a college that is not online! I am SO excited!

For those who are curious, I am trying to get my Physical Therapy Assistant Associate's Degree. But that program only takes 30 people, so pray that I get in! :)

On the writing front, I have taken a look at two of my WiPs. One I think I need to make it MG instead of YA to make it work and the other is YA and fine at that age group. If only I could figure out the rest of my plot lines!

Oh, so far, Khaladin is still getting nothing but rejections. I've gotta look up some more agents to query. I'm not giving up yet!

Hey, I thought I didn't have much to say, and this post is already WAY longer than I thought it would be. I guess that's a good thing. :)

Anyway, till next time, happy writing! :D

Do You Guys Know Gary Smith?

Yeah, Gary Smith. The famous writer for Sports Illustrated. The guy who's one of the best (if not the best) magazine writers in America.

Wanna know something neat?

I just found out that one of my neighbor's, who is a freelance writer, is his brother.

Weird life we are living in, huh?

My neighbor just let me borrow a book by his brother called Going Deep (cover above). I must say that it is really good. And I'm not even a sports fan!

Seriously, if you have not read this book, go buy it. It's an amazing read. :)

Two New Chapters Done

OK, so far today I have added two new chapters to Khaladin. There's more on the way, but I've written over 1,000 words today alone, and that's great, considering I haven't been able to do that in quite a while.

I've had a lot of time on my hands to write. Today especially, because I am SUPER sore. Why? I have taken up a new sport and that sport is horseback riding.

The owners of the barn that I volunteer at are so nice that they are giving me riding lessons for free. I ride a beautiful Quarter Horse mare named Sooner. When I get some pictures, I'll post them so you can see. :)

After Weeks Of Writer's Block....

....I have it again.

Haha, fooled ya! Actually, the reality is that I am far from having writer's block, considering I am now currently working on three novels at once.

Yep, you read that right. Three.

The first you already know about. Yep, it's Confessions of a Redhead. But the other two are more up my alley. They are both fantasy, one being middle grade and the other young adult.

It's pretty fun since one of my best friends is in my new middle grade novel. I created a character based on him several months ago, but never had a story to put him in. Now I do and I am so excited! It's a lot of fun working on this stuff, and one of the reasons why my posting has gotten a little scarce.

I'll try to keep you updated a little more often like I used to. But so much has been going on lately that I haven't had a lot of time to devote to writing. Hopefully that is going to be changing and I think it will since I now have several projects I am very excited about. :)

Happy writing! :D

Writing Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOOOOOOOOORAAAAAAAY!!!!! I am writing again! I started again this morning because one of my best friends gave me an idea for a book when we were talking on the phone last night. And he didn't even mean to give me an idea! It just sort of happened.

But here's the neat thing. It's not YA or MG. It's not even fantasy or science fiction. I guess it's what you'd call a literary novel. I'll have to look up that term to make sure that's exactly what it's called. And it's non-fiction!

Anyway, do you want to know the title? Well, if you don't, quit reading right now, cause I'm gonna type it. And I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because I think the title is pretty self-explanatory.

It's called Confessions Of A Redhead: The Pros and Cons.

So, let's see if I'm right about the title really saying what the book is about. What do you think it's about? Oh and I have the prologue and first chapter all done and am partway through two more, and so far have fourteen chapters planned. All with titles and what they will be about. Will there be more? I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. At least I'm writing again and that makes me very, very, VERY happy! :D

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part One

Mom has been going through some old boxes and has found a lot of stuff that I wrote when I was younger. It's so funny to go back and read all this stuff that was so good then, but crap now. Well, maybe not crap, considering it gives me a good laugh! :)

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share some of these "fantastic" stories with you. Here is a story I wrote when I was in second grade. Considering the ending, I don't think it was finished, but it very well could have been. I have no clue.

Disclaimer: For your convenience, spelling errors have been omitted. I had really bad spelling skills that still plague me somewhat today. But grammar and POV errors have not been omitted. I hope you enjoy it! :)


The Bad Easter Bunny Who Almost Stole the Magic Easter Egg

Dedicated to my teacher, Ms. Harris

Once in a small village in the village there was a very bad Easter bunny her name was Dafney. Dafney knew in the museum there was a Easter egg and the Easter egg made Easter come every year. Dafney hated Easter that's why she wanted the Easter egg so much. One night when everyone was asleep, Dafney snuck into the museum and got the Easter egg. Dafney did not know that they had night watchmen. One of the night watchmen saw Dafney take the Easter egg soon they were running all over the museum knocking stuff over here and there! Dafney was faster than the night watchman.

Dafney was wondering what to do then something came to her mind she was thinking about sneaking out the door without the night watchman knowing it and he would still be running around the museum. Finally the night watchman realized that he was not chasing anything. Both of the night watchmen did not know that in the village lived a wise but old Dog her name was Anna. The night after the robbery happened the night watchmen found out about Anna they went to her and told her about the robbery. Anna said that she would put a spell over Dafney. "The spell will make Dafney good" said Anna

I'm guessing the spell worked, because that's where the story ends. I vaguely remember writing it. My teacher was happy to hear that I dedicated this story to her.

I wish I knew if this story is finished or an old forgotten WIP. I guess I'll never know. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! :)

New Job

So, I am going to tell you about my new job. It's completely volunteer, which I don't mind. It is also just a ten minute walk from my house, which I don't mind.

Up the road from me, there's a place called Shining Hope Farms. Basically what they do is give riding therapy to special needs kids. Today was my first day.




I have loved horses ever since I was little and have always wanted to be around them. The opportunity has never arose until recently.

Today was my first day and I absolutely loved it! The lady who heads it up even said that we might be able to let my volunteer work pay for me to get some riding lessons up there, which would be sweet!

Does this cut into the writing time, you ask?

Well, of course. But I don't mind. I am a writer through and through, so I will always find time to hone and perfect my craft. But learning how to be around the horses is amazing, especially since a constant in my writing is the unicorn. But don't worry. I think there's little danger of me finding a unicorn in the barn like Judy did in Khaladin. It'd be hard too, since all of the horses are male! ;)

(Oh, and if I did find a unicorn in the barn, y'all would be the first to know. *wink*)

I Hate This

This is one thing I can't stand in writing. It is when I have nothing to write.

I have so many ideas it is not even funny. But which one to work on? Nothing seems to be coming at the moment. Right now, I'm teetering between two YA fantasies I have called Your Reality, My Fantasy and The Unicorn Maiden. I am also thinking hard about my MG fantasy series, The Unicorn Queen. But which one to write?

I have no clue right now. This is the most frustrating thing for me. Yes, it is worse for me than waiting on literary agent responses (or lack thereof). I always want to write. I get joy out of writing. But when that stupid, evil little demon called Writer's Block pops in, I'm in for a stressful time.

What about you? If you can't write, does it drive you up the wall? Or do you act like a normal person and find something else to do besides search through your story notes and ideas for something to write?

This Is For All You Unpublished Authors Out There

Have you ever wondered if you will get published?

I do. Sometimes I read what I have written and think there is no way that anyone would want to read it and no wonder that no literary agents have offered to read my work. I stare at it and think it's crap, wondering if I should shelve the whole dang thing.

Then I think, who am I kidding? Of course will be published one day, it's only a matter of time. So what if the agents don't want to read my work? I have to look at it as their lose and move on. One day I will be read and published.

I think every writer teeters between these two trains of thought. It's only natural. Sure, it can be frustrating, but that's part of what makes success so sweet when we finally achieve it. The road to publication is long and hard and the road won't get any shorter or easier even after all the contracts are signed, but yet we are willing to do it anyway.

Why?

Because some people are just born to do something. I know I was born to write, whether I get published or not. How about you?

If You Are A Writer.....

....and you hate scams and you have Facebook, please aid me in raising awareness about a writing scam known as WL Writer's Agency.

Here is the link to the group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17059818539

If there is any way you can help spread the word, please do so. Invite your friends on Facebook, link to this post in your blog, or anything you can think of. I have gotten several people messaging me on Facebook asking about why this place is a scam. I enjoy responding and helping my fellow writers, but it breaks my heart to see just how many people are unaware of these greedy scammers. So, please, anything you can do to help is appreciated.

Thanks! Happy writing! :D